Party games have always been a favorite of mine. Especially as an only child, going to birthday parties and getting to play with groups of other kids always seemed like the best present of all. As much as a piñata was probably my favorite party surprise to find, I also got an inordinate amount of…
I love using trays in our house. A tray has the wonderful ability to confine a grouping of otherwise disorderly items and make them seem neat and organized. To refresh a tired old tray, I used an age-old mirror-making technique to silver leaf a piece of glass. To modernize it a bit, I added a…
Few homes are blessed with built-in shelving, so storage is often something we have to figure out for ourselves. Luckily there are endless variations of shelf designs out there, and while shelving is a very utilitarian item, it can also make a great decor element. I’ve rounded up some of our best DIY shelves that…
I love clothespins; they’re one of the few simple tools with a design that hasn’t needed improvement. Inspired by the starburst mirrors from Ballard Designs, D*S reader Diane Henkler decided to create a similar style using wooden clothespins, which she then customized in a number of different ways. Anyone looking for a super-easy weekend project…
Just when I was starting to hear a voice in my head that said, “Maybe I could use a break from wallpapers for a bit,” I got an email from Avery at Juju Papers. Despite feeling like I was on the verge of a wallpaper hiatus, I let myself fall for Avery’s designs pretty quickly…
Folded textures or patterns are some of my favorite designs to use at home. Something about the simple act of folding and seeing paper or other materials wrapped snugly around themselves feels instantly comforting to me. Maybe it’s the way the folds create natural pockets that feel tucked away and safe, but it’s a texture…
Image via Vintage Pixels When it comes to Mother’s Day gifts, I’m always looking for something different and unexpected. My mom and I have some overlapping tastes and interests, so I usually try to focus on those, but I’ve loved watching my mom slowly embrace technology over the years. So when I heard Kate was…
Loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the Coen brothers’ sepia-toned adventure through Depression-era Mississippi. The film oozes Southern charm of the Dust Bowl variety — suspenders and rocking chairs; front porches and mint juleps; escaped convicts and well-pomaded hair. Bluegrass sets the whole story on its feet, and wow, I…
Spring is all about inspiration and renewal so for today’s Biz Ladies post we asked ten of our favorite artists, designers and small business owners to tell us how they got their start, what lessons they learned on the way and what they’d go back and tell themselves, if they had they chance. There is…
Louisville print by Capow at Etsy Our Louisville City Guide comes to us from native Kentuckian and avid Design Sponge reader, Lee Ann Massey. When not immersed in the medical world as the administrator of a surgery center, Lee Ann hangs out with her minature daschund, Moxie, learns photography and is working her way through…
There was a period where I wanted nothing to do with lucite, acrylic or any other material. For some reason I had a hard time associating them with anything that felt really high quality or well-made. But lately I’ve been intrigued by clear plastics again as a way to reveal interesting or unexpected elements in…
ICFF is right around the corner and I’m getting really excited to see what the designers have in store. I’m always happy to see the friendly faces at the Miss Print booth and I’m excited to check out these new designs of theirs in person. Lucy Rose is stocking them and sent over some preview…
While my raging sinus infection did its best to keep me away from the outdoors this past weekend, I managed to get out in my parents’ yard for a hours to soak up some much needed sun. And as much as I love deck chairs, you really can’t beat a good hammock or hammock chair….
Kimberly Ludy of Etsy shops Trampoline and Black Strap is preparing to say goodbye to this house just outside of Boston in Framingham, Massachusetts. It’s been home to her, husband Tom, their eight-year-old Ethan and dog Ollie for the past six years, but the family is ready for a new adventure, and they’re heading to…
Two years ago, Elodie Laleous and her boyfriend bought this 650-square-foot flat in the 18th arrondissement in Paris. It was initially a raw space, and Elodie channeled her childhood in the countryside and love of all things Scandinavian by utilizing wood as the main decorative element. The limited square footage means that Elodie makes sure…
Before Jordan Carlson moved from Seattle to New York to pursue a graphic design degree at Parsons, she had a small business staging houses for the real estate market. She’d bring furnishings and accessories into empty spaces to create an environment that would allow buyers to envision themselves living there. Jordan’s put that skill for…
Kate Schintzius, associate designer for M.Design Interiors, resides in this West Hollywood apartment. She went for a “Palm Beach in the 70s” vibe, and it’s pretty incredible! The furnishings are vintage, thrift, eBay and Craigslist finds. Kate’s kitchen remains 1930s original: crisp, clean and classic with its red stripe and white tiles. The retro fabric…
This morning is a very special edition of the Monday music mix because . . . my parents are taking over. Okay, not entirely, but they’re outnumbering me two to one. Before dinner yesterday, I was thinking about this column and how we could pool the diverse Bonney family musical tastes into one post. Rather…
Today is my last day home in Virginia, so I’m soaking up every bit of “home” that I can this morning. A big part of being home for me is poring over my mom’s impressive collection of home magazines. While our styles overlap more frequently than they used to, her magazine collection tips more toward “traditional”…
I’ve got a major soft spot for cute planters. When we moved in March, I discovered an embarrassingly huge stash of them under the kitchen sink that hadn’t even been used yet. I ended up selling most of them to kick off the “clean start” vibe in the new space, but I always have an…
